I wanted to cry some more. But I was so angry, I couldn’t squeeze out another tear if I tried right now. Questions kept bouncing around in my head. How would I be able to live next door to Yvonne and Milton now? Why had they taken so long to tell me about Betty Jean? Just thinking about how they and Odell had kept me in the dark made my blood boil. What had Odell said or done to make them finally tell me? I had no idea what was going to happen to those two lowlifes, but Odell was going to go down like a lead balloon. My life had been turned upside down. However, I was not going to let this setback set me back. I knew that if I worked and prayed hard enough, and kept my guard up, I could still have a future worth looking forward to.

I finished my drink in one gulp. My head felt like somebody had batted it with a mallet. Now that I knew how to get to Betty Jean’s house, I’d be paying her a visit—maybe even tomorrow while Odell was still there. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he realized the jig was up for him. His suffering was going to be of biblical proportions.

CHAPTER 41 - ODELL

CHAPTER 41

ODELL

THIS MORNING, A FEW MINUTES AFTER I GOT TO HARTVILLE, ME AND the boys took a walk out to the woods about a mile from our house and chopped down a Christmas tree. We decorated it as soon as we got home. Betty Jean hung up garlands in every room and put a wreath on the back of our front door.

On the way to Po’ Sister’s Kitchen to eat supper this evening, we decided to sing some Christmas songs in the car. The kids loved “Jingle Bells,” so we sung it two times in a row. Then we sung my favorite, “Joy to the World.” After that, Betty Jean insisted on us singing “Silent Night.” She even cried when we finished. “I declare, Odell. Every time I hear that song, I get emotional.” She sniffled.

“Baby, this is the time of year when almost everybody gets emotional about something,” I said with a heavy sigh.

We enjoyed our supper, and conversated with some of the staff and a few of our other friends. By the time we left, the place had so many customers, we had to push our way through the crowd to get back outside.

When we got in the car and pulled away from the curb, Betty Jean gave me a curious look. “Odell, I wonder what all them folks in line outside was buzzing about when we came out?”